Inside Stem

Welcome to the new Bear Mountain Builders Forum - an interactive internet service we provide to encourage communication between canoe and kayak builders
Post Reply
brooks
Posts: 47
Joined: Sun Dec 15, 2013 2:11 pm

Inside Stem

Post by brooks »

I just flipped my Ranger on Jan 19. I have been sanding it on and off ever since, pondering my next step of laying up the cloth on the inside. My question is, should I fillet the inside stems before the cloth or after. I would think before would be the way to go but this is my first canoe and I am only speculating. Maybe its all done at the same time during the lay up, I don't know. How have the rest of you done it. I would appreciate some feed back.
User avatar
Patricks Dad
Posts: 1476
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 1:11 pm
Location: Warrenville, Illinois

Re: Inside Stem

Post by Patricks Dad »

If you are going to put a fillet along the edge of the stem and the hull, do it before you glass. You will be tucking the glass into that same corner so having a bit of a radius there is helpful.
Randy Pfeifer
(847) 341-0618
Randy.Pfeifer1@gmail.com
canoecrafter
Posts: 20
Joined: Sun Jan 04, 2015 8:22 am
Location: Rice Lake, WI

Re: Inside Stem

Post by canoecrafter »

I found the best way to handle inner stems when fiberglassing the inside of a canoe is to hold the glass back from the stems an inch or so when doing the main inside layup. Trying to get the fiberglass cloth to cover the stems is incredibly messy when you have enough to worry about when glassing the interior of a canoe.

When the first coat of epoxy has set on the cloth covering the interior of the canoe, then deal with each stem with a strip of bias-cut fiberglass about 3" wide. Cut the strip on a 45-degree angle to the weave of the cloth and as long as needed to cover the entire stem. Lay it onto the stem starting from the top, impregnating it with epoxy from a brush held flat against the hull. You are essentially patting the epoxy onto the strip with the brush rather than brushing it on.

When you get toward the bottom of the stem where the sides of the stem are exposed, slit the cloth with a sharp utility knife and push the cloth down along the sides of the exposed stem against the hull. The cloth won't want to take that sharp angle so you'll have to repeatedly push it down into the V between the stem and the hull as the resin slowly sets and gets stickier. Let the slit edge of the cloth protrude up over the square stem, making no attempt to wrap the cloth over the stem. In several hours when the epoxy has hardened, take a sharp utility knife and trim the cloth at the top edge of the exposed part of the lower stem.

This procedure leaves the lower 4-6" of the exposed stem without cloth over it and that's OK. When you are putting filling coats on the interior cloth, brush fresh epoxy onto the upper surface of the lower stem, sealing it from moisture penetration.
When people figure out what's important in Life, there's gonna be a big shortage of canoes.
User avatar
Patricks Dad
Posts: 1476
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 1:11 pm
Location: Warrenville, Illinois

Re: Inside Stem

Post by Patricks Dad »

As Canoecrafter notes, there is no need for the glass to fully cover the inner stem. But I have never needed to bother with the extra step/effort of a separate bias cut piece of cloth on the stem. I have always been able to simply slit the cloth the length of the inner stem (allowing the inner stem to be exposed), wet the glass out with the rest of the cloth and force the cloth into the corner between the hull and the inner stem (along the keel line). The edge of the glass will simply point upward and cover the sides of the stem. Where the stem turns upward toward the sheer, you can leave the glass an inch or so short of the stem and coat the stem with a couple layers of epoxy. Once the epoxy sets, you should be able to trim the glass level with the upper surface of the inner stem sand the edge. The operation is quick and easy.

I think this is how things are described in Canoecraft.

Enjoy your build!
Randy Pfeifer
(847) 341-0618
Randy.Pfeifer1@gmail.com
Post Reply